---
title: WorkOS 🤝 FastMCP
sidebarTitle: WorkOS
description: Authenticate FastMCP servers with WorkOS Connect
icon: shield-check
tag: NEW
---

import { VersionBadge } from "/snippets/version-badge.mdx"

<VersionBadge version="2.12.0" />

Secure your FastMCP server with WorkOS Connect authentication. This integration uses the OAuth Proxy pattern to handle authentication through WorkOS Connect while maintaining compatibility with MCP clients.

<Note>
This guide covers WorkOS Connect applications. For Dynamic Client Registration (DCR) with AuthKit, see the [AuthKit integration](/integrations/authkit) instead.
</Note>

## Configuration

### Prerequisites

Before you begin, you will need:
1. A **[WorkOS Account](https://workos.com/)** with access to create OAuth Apps
2. Your FastMCP server's URL (can be localhost for development, e.g., `http://localhost:8000`)

### Step 1: Create a WorkOS OAuth App

Create an OAuth App in your WorkOS dashboard to get the credentials needed for authentication:

<Steps>
<Step title="Create OAuth Application">
In your WorkOS dashboard:
1. Navigate to **Applications**
2. Click **Create Application** 
3. Select **OAuth Application**
4. Name your application
</Step>

<Step title="Get Credentials">
In your OAuth application settings:
1. Copy your **Client ID** (starts with `client_`)
2. Click **Generate Client Secret** and save it securely
3. Copy your **AuthKit Domain** (e.g., `https://your-app.authkit.app`)
</Step>

<Step title="Configure Redirect URI">
In the **Redirect URIs** section:
- Add: `http://localhost:8000/auth/callback` (for development)
- For production, add your server's public URL + `/auth/callback`

<Warning>
The callback URL must match exactly. The default path is `/auth/callback`, but you can customize it using the `redirect_path` parameter.
</Warning>
</Step>
</Steps>

### Step 2: FastMCP Configuration

Create your FastMCP server using the `WorkOSProvider`:

```python server.py
from fastmcp import FastMCP
from fastmcp.server.auth.providers.workos import WorkOSProvider

# Configure WorkOS OAuth
auth = WorkOSProvider(
    client_id="client_YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
    client_secret="YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET",
    authkit_domain="https://your-app.authkit.app",
    base_url="http://localhost:8000",
    required_scopes=["openid", "profile", "email"]
)

mcp = FastMCP("WorkOS Protected Server", auth=auth)

@mcp.tool
def protected_tool(message: str) -> str:
    """This tool requires authentication."""
    return f"Authenticated user says: {message}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    mcp.run(transport="http", port=8000)
```

## Testing

### Running the Server

Start your FastMCP server with HTTP transport to enable OAuth flows:

```bash
fastmcp run server.py --transport http --port 8000
```

Your server is now running and protected by WorkOS OAuth authentication.

### Testing with a Client

Create a test client that authenticates with your WorkOS-protected server:

```python client.py
from fastmcp import Client
import asyncio

async def main():    
    # The client will automatically handle WorkOS OAuth
    async with Client("http://localhost:8000/mcp", auth="oauth") as client:
        # First-time connection will open WorkOS login in your browser
        print("✓ Authenticated with WorkOS!")
        
        # Test the protected tool
        result = await client.call_tool("protected_tool", {"message": "Hello!"})
        print(result)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())
```

When you run the client for the first time:
1. Your browser will open to WorkOS's authorization page
2. After you authorize the app, you'll be redirected back
3. The client receives the token and can make authenticated requests

<Info>
The client caches tokens locally, so you won't need to re-authenticate for subsequent runs unless the token expires or you explicitly clear the cache.
</Info>

## Production Configuration

<VersionBadge version="2.13.0" />

For production deployments with persistent token management across server restarts, configure `jwt_signing_key`, and `client_storage`:

```python server.py
import os
from fastmcp import FastMCP
from fastmcp.server.auth.providers.workos import WorkOSProvider
from key_value.aio.stores.redis import RedisStore
from key_value.aio.wrappers.encryption import FernetEncryptionWrapper
from cryptography.fernet import Fernet

# Production setup with encrypted persistent token storage
auth = WorkOSProvider(
    client_id="client_YOUR_CLIENT_ID",
    client_secret="YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET",
    authkit_domain="https://your-app.authkit.app",
    base_url="https://your-production-domain.com",
    required_scopes=["openid", "profile", "email"],

    # Production token management
    jwt_signing_key=os.environ["JWT_SIGNING_KEY"],
    client_storage=FernetEncryptionWrapper(
        key_value=RedisStore(
            host=os.environ["REDIS_HOST"],
            port=int(os.environ["REDIS_PORT"])
        ),
        fernet=Fernet(os.environ["STORAGE_ENCRYPTION_KEY"])
    )
)

mcp = FastMCP(name="Production WorkOS App", auth=auth)
```

<Note>
Parameters (`jwt_signing_key` and `client_storage`) work together to ensure tokens and client registrations survive server restarts. **Wrap your storage in `FernetEncryptionWrapper` to encrypt sensitive OAuth tokens at rest** - without it, tokens are stored in plaintext. Store secrets in environment variables and use a persistent storage backend like Redis for distributed deployments.

For complete details on these parameters, see the [OAuth Proxy documentation](/servers/auth/oauth-proxy#configuration-parameters).
</Note>

## Environment Variables

<VersionBadge version="2.12.1" />

For production deployments, use environment variables instead of hardcoding credentials.

### Provider Selection

Setting this environment variable allows the WorkOS provider to be used automatically without explicitly instantiating it in code.

<Card>
<ParamField path="FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH" default="Not set">
Set to `fastmcp.server.auth.providers.workos.WorkOSProvider` to use WorkOS authentication.
</ParamField>
</Card>

### WorkOS-Specific Configuration

These environment variables provide default values for the WorkOS provider, whether it's instantiated manually or configured via `FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH`.

<Card>
<ParamField path="FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_CLIENT_ID" required>
Your WorkOS OAuth App Client ID (e.g., `client_01K33Y6GGS7T3AWMPJWKW42Y3Q`)
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_CLIENT_SECRET" required>
Your WorkOS OAuth App Client Secret
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_AUTHKIT_DOMAIN" required>
Your WorkOS AuthKit domain (e.g., `https://your-app.authkit.app`)
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_BASE_URL" default="http://localhost:8000">
Public URL where OAuth endpoints will be accessible (includes any mount path)
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_ISSUER_URL" default="Uses BASE_URL">
Issuer URL for OAuth metadata (defaults to `BASE_URL`). Set to root-level URL when mounting under a path prefix to avoid 404 logs. See [HTTP Deployment guide](/deployment/http#mounting-authenticated-servers) for details.
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_REDIRECT_PATH" default="/auth/callback">
Redirect path configured in your WorkOS OAuth App
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_REQUIRED_SCOPES" default="[]">
Comma-, space-, or JSON-separated list of required OAuth scopes (e.g., `openid profile email` or `["openid","profile","email"]`)
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_TIMEOUT_SECONDS" default="10">
HTTP request timeout for WorkOS API calls
</ParamField>
</Card>

Example `.env` file:
```bash
# WorkOS OAuth credentials (always used as defaults)
FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_CLIENT_ID=client_01K33Y6GGS7T3AWMPJWKW42Y3Q
FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_CLIENT_SECRET=your_client_secret
FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_AUTHKIT_DOMAIN=https://your-app.authkit.app
FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_BASE_URL=https://your-server.com
FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH_WORKOS_REQUIRED_SCOPES=["openid","profile","email"]

# Optional: Automatically provision WorkOS auth for all servers
FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH=fastmcp.server.auth.providers.workos.WorkOSProvider
```

With environment variables set, you can either:

**Option 1: Manual instantiation (env vars provide defaults)**
```python server.py
from fastmcp import FastMCP
from fastmcp.server.auth.providers.workos import WorkOSProvider

# Env vars provide default values for WorkOSProvider()
auth = WorkOSProvider()  # Uses env var defaults
mcp = FastMCP(name="WorkOS Protected Server", auth=auth)
```

**Option 2: Automatic provisioning (requires FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH=fastmcp.server.auth.providers.workos.WorkOSProvider)**
```python server.py
from fastmcp import FastMCP

# Auth is automatically provisioned from FASTMCP_SERVER_AUTH
mcp = FastMCP(name="WorkOS Protected Server")
```

## Configuration Options

<Card>
<ParamField path="client_id" required>
WorkOS OAuth application client ID
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="client_secret" required>
WorkOS OAuth application client secret
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="authkit_domain" required>
Your WorkOS AuthKit domain URL (e.g., `https://your-app.authkit.app`)
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="base_url" required>
Your FastMCP server's public URL
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="required_scopes" default="[]">
OAuth scopes to request
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="redirect_path" default="/auth/callback">
OAuth callback path
</ParamField>

<ParamField path="timeout_seconds" default="10">
API request timeout
</ParamField>
</Card>